Beechwood Park, Sauchie. 26th October 2024.
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Taking full advantage of the expanding cycle infrastructure in this part of the world, I get to visit an old friend on their cup journey.
I worked two summers in Buckie, and my Dad was a leading light in the shipyard there, the place holds a special spot in my heart. So it was with some joy that I set out to see them take on the (thus far) all conquering Sauchie Juniors.
Sauchie’s Beechwood Park is a neat wee ground, perched above the village, almost part of the gold club, really. They were very welcoming to this cyclist, allowing me into the ground with my steed and keeping it safe and undercover. Kudos to them for that.
Pre-match drinks in the stadium bar – which sits between the home and away dressing rooms – so players are coming and going either side as the crowd assembles. Not seen anything quite like it. Just as well, as the prematch sustenace around the ground is pretty limited. Though the soup was OK at the Sweet Spot across the road. Looked like one of those awful dessert places, but was actually more substantial.
Soup was enough – left room for the roll n square (with onions, if you don’t mind) at the ground. Tasty.
The stand might be the mopre comfortable place to watch the match, but the view from the enclosure is quite something. The young team assembled here and were giving the refs warming up quite some stick. I say stick – they were chanting “SFA, get tae f*ck” much to the ref’s amusement. It is curious to chant abuse at someone’s employer, no? Anyway, turns out Sauchie had been docked 15 (fifteeen) points that morning due to fielding inelligible players, so you can see how they might have been angered.
The enclosure is not for the faint hearted, including a casual disregard for the ‘no bottles’ rule, though it was nice to see tributes paid to the visiting side by the locals, who were all carrying Buckie in their back pockets. Maybe a subtle dig?
At one end of the ground kids were happily playing football – that is a very good idea. Watching Scottish football has limited appeal for today’s kids. Watching Sauchie even less so. So let them play, they aren’t bored and don’ want to leave early.
At the other end – what looks like either the remnants if an old facility or the incomplete efforts to create a new one, it is not clear to me which it is. Trees are nice, though.
It was a close game, two well matched teams, with exchanges pretty even. Buckie looked just a bit sharper and took the lead through young Marcus Goodall, a Buckie loon, too.
Second half was a bit more tense, with the result in doubt until Darryl McHardy (ex Elgin) scored the sucker-punch second just a few minutes from time. 0-2 Buckie the final score, and they are in the hat for the 3rd round, proper.
That draw was made by Tom Stoltman, and includes some of the bigger boys from the Scottish championship. Buckie drew Clydebank, which is where we head next. Alas, no trip to Buckie this time, but maybe that is being saved for the fourth round?
My ride home in the rain was a proper soaking, drenched I was, but I did get to do part of the journey on old waggon way, that used to carry coal to the docks at Alloa.
The rail was built in the late 18th century, the pits it served in Sauchie and Alloa are long gone, but one of the joys of being on the bike is to connect with these nuggets of history.
Scottish Cup, 2024-25:
Matches: 4
Goals: 15
Total miles cycled: 71.17
Pies: 2
Grounds visited: 3
In the Hat 
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